Wolf in Golden Roses
by infinitemilkshakee
Summary: Sansa Stark thought she would be stuck in King's Landing forever. However, she was quickly proven wrong when Margaery Tyrell proposed an offer that Sansa could not refuse: to marry her brother, Ser Alester Tyrell, and move to Highgarden. It seems Sansa's childhood dreams were finally coming true. But Highgarden is nothing like Sansa imagines it to be.


The merciless summer sun brightened the Roseroad which stretched out ahead, showing the journey the company from the capital were still to endure. Looking out of the carriage, Sansa Stark was growing bored of the never-ending sight of fields which has not changed ever since the company crossed the border to the Reach. These fields were the primary source of the Tyrell wealth and looking at how large they were and how rich in crops it was no wonder House Tyrell was the second wealthiest House in Westeros. Tanned, smallfolk men worked the land, taking care of and harvesting the crops, talking merrily as they worked. Even though Sansa was growing bored of the unchanging scenery, the sight of the happy southerners mesmerised her every time she focused on it. Even though it was currently just past noon, which meant that the temperature outside of Sansa's carriage was reaching its peak, the men laughed and enjoyed light-hearted conversations. They were so full of life, so unlike the smallfolk in King's Landing that Sansa grew used to. The wild faces of the men that attacked her one day back in the capital still flashed in her nightmares. Looking at the smallfolk here, she could not imagine these men being capable of any action as malevolent or vicious as the attack she experienced that day. The thought of that night made her shudder. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. As soon as Sansa and the men that accompanied her on her journey crossed the border of the Reach, she knew she was safe. The Reach belonged to House Tyrell and the Tyrells were on her side, she needn't worry about anything. Sansa's eyes rested on the form of the other woman in the carriage. Lady Olenna Tyrell insisted on going with Sansa to Highgarden, claiming that she would not let her grandson's bride travel to her home without a proper escort. Even though the Queen of Thorns was being kind when she said that, Sansa knew that the real reason that the elder woman travelled with her all this way was to make sure that Lannister men did not ambush the company in an effort to take Sansa back to King's Landing. Lady Olenna, as well as Sansa herself, both knew that the deal for Sansa to leave King's Landing was a fragile one that Cersei Lannister was furious about. Just because Joffrey, drunk on the perfection of Margaery, agreed to his new bride's request to let Lady Sansa marry one of the Tyrell lordlings, did not make this a very official arrangement. The King let her go on a whim and Sansa knew she needed to quickly get to Highgarden where the protection of the Tyrells was strongest.

Even though Sansa had not seen Highgarden itself yet, Margaery's stories of her home and the sight of the Reach's smallfolk, made the young girl completely convinced that she would be happy there. Sansa's heart swelled with joy at the thought of escaping King's Landing and beginning a new life. She would marry Margaery's elder brother and become a Lady of the Reach, safe from the horrors she endured among the Lannisters. She was sure that her dreams of a perfect life were finally coming true after all the suffering she had to go through. The long, hot days in the carriage were spent by Sansa imagining what her future husband would be like and asking Lady Olenna about him. What she knew already was that Ser Alester Tyrell was the third born son of Lord Mace and Lady Alerie Tyrell. He was a few years older than her but that did not bother her very much, Margaery was very amused when she assured Sansa that her brother was not an old man. He was said to be very handsome, having the typical golden brown Tyrell locks and green eyes. Ser Alester was not known for very much, he was the most secretive member of House Tyrell. He was a knight but he did not participate in tourneys. He was a young lord but he rarely attended major events. The lack of knowledge sparked Sansa's curiosity and imagination. She imagined the young knight to be a humble man, not participating in tourneys or large events because he disliked the attention that his siblings seemed to love. She imagined that he was like the eldest Tyrell son, Willas, more quiet and reserved, a good listener that would care about her. Lady Olenna did not tell Sansa much about her grandson, although she seemed to hint that he was one of her favourite grandchildren. The Queen of Thorns gave off a certain fondness when speaking of Ser Alester which was a rare occurrence and certainly increased Sansa's curiosity about the man. The girl was imagining the young knight as handsome, gentle, and caring. Someone from her childhood dreams. After all, why should he be imperfect in any way when his sister was such a beautiful and kind creature?

Sansa did not realise that subconsciously she was dreaming of a marriage much alike the one of her parents. All the girl wanted was mutual love and respect, someone that would care about and make her feel safe. Overall it was not an unreasonable dream, but the kind of love that Eddard and Catelyn Stark shared grows over time, which was something Sansa did not realise just yet. She wished for love and she wished for it now.

* * *

Sansa was woken as the carriage shook suddenly, running over a stray rock on the road. It was a good thing she woke now as she noticed they were no longer surrounded by fields but orchards. All around her were fruit trees of all sorts, people picked the fruit but they did not resemble the smallfolk she saw earlier in the fields. They wore far nicer clothing and there were women among the workers. The women wore simple but elegant dresses as they picked fireplums from the trees. Many heads turned towards the company from King's Landing, curious chatter beginning almost instantly, the people peering into the carriage. Lady Olenna shut the curtain of the carriage in one swift motion.

"The silly hens around here have always been curious, they enjoy the gossip too much," she muttered angrily. The elder lady clearly did not wish for a reply so Sansa remained silent, staring down at her hands in her lap. Only now did she notice that she began nervously playing with the blue material of her dress. She realised that if Olenna was familiar with these people and the scenery has changed it had to mean they were very close to Highgarden. Or already on its grounds, as she found out soon after. The carriage stopped and its doors were soon opened, one of the knights of the company giving Sansa a polite smile as he held the door for her. Sansa was frozen in a sort of shock at the journey being over. Even though the past weeks she dreamt of meeting her future husband, she was nervous now. She was not ready. She needed more time. But there was no more time as she soon realised when Lady Olenna spoke.

"Move, child, I'm all stiff from this ridiculously long journey and would love to finally get some rest, I will not wait around for you deciding if you want to get out or not," the older lady grumbled, rather insensitively, Sansa thought.

On that note, Sansa got out of the carriage hurriedly, not wanting to get on the bad side of the Queen of Thorns. She did not have time to process the beauty of Highgarden, she was hit by it so suddenly she staggered back. The pale castle was a magnificent construction standing tall and proud before her. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with rosebushes which bloomed with white, pink, and red roses. Fountains mixed with the flowers, watering them as well as chilling the courtyard in hot days like these. Millions of candles were already lit outside, seeing as the sun was barely visible anymore. The strange evening light basked the entire courtyard in a dark golden glow. Only after she took in the magnificent sight in front of her, Sansa realised that there was a small group of people out to welcome them. Lord Mace and Lady Alerie stood on the steps to the castle, surrounded by guards and some servants. The Lord of Highgarden did not look very interested in the current situation but his wife was much more present. Lady Alerie wore a white dress with golden rose details. She stood straight, looking powerful and elegant for herself and her husband both. Her green eyes keenly observed Sansa from afar, she seemed curious about the girl. Sansa waited to be attacked in some way by that gaze but the attack did not happen. Lady Alerie merely smiled reassuringly as she noticed Sansa's shaken state. On Alerie's left stood a thin figure, leaning heavily on a wooden staff. Sansa immediately figured that this must be the crippled heir to Highgarden, Willas Tyrell. Sansa knew that before the accident that crippled him, Willas had been the perfect son, knight, and heir. It was impressive that even after his injury he upheld the image of a strong leader. What she knew about the man intimidated her but the fact he held himself with the same elegance as his mother worried her more. The man was certainly a survivor. She met many of those in King's Landing and found them to be a group she would rather stay away from.

Sansa focused so much on the trio on the steps that she barely noticed the figure making its way to her and the carriage. She only saw the young man when his boots clicked against the thinner marble that made up the way to the grand stairs to the castle. The man was clad in elegant robes of mostly dark greens, with gold thread drawing three roses on his sleeves. Sansa was immediately stunned by the sight of him. He was taller than her but not by much, slender but not skinny. His skin was pale but the sunset light made him seem golden. The remains of sunlight hit his curls, making them look like spun gold. His eyes were as keen and green as his mother's. There was no doubt in Sansa's mind that this was the man she came here to marry.

Ser Alester stopped just in front of her, a comfortable distance away. Sansa's heart raced and she wished to introduce herself but her mouth opened without letting out a sound. Alester's brow quirked up in amusement at her suddenly awkward appearance. His mouth curled into a smirk as he looked Sansa up and down, staring at every inch of her until her cheeks went bright red and she felt naked beneath his gaze. She cowered at the smirk he sent her. It was full of danger and a promise of excitement for which she knew she would have to pay. She began to wonder if she'd escaped one monster only to be shipped off to another.

Suddenly, Ser Alester tore his gaze from Sansa and looked to her side. Sansa had not noticed Lady Olenna had been beside her this whole time. Without much politeness or acting, Alester spoke.

"Marrying me off to a dirty northern girl, daughter of a traitor no less, simply to save her from the wrath of the second Mad King?" he said, questioning Lady Olenna, his features twisted in amusement even though his tone was mockingly offended. Sansa realised that the smirk he wore was almost identical to the one she saw on Lady Olenna or even Margaery when the two plotted or gossiped about things they should not. In the case of Ser Alester, the smirk reflected his amusement and showed just how entertaining he found this situation. "Grandmother, I feel used. You know I despise shows of pity."

Sansa's heart sank at his words, her mouth fell open in shock. She wished to speak, to explain, to apologise. She was so ashamed by simply the way he looked at her. She was just an unwanted gift brought to him by his grandmother on the instruction of his sister. She was nothing. She collected herself quickly, refusing to fall apart here and telling herself it was the long journey finally getting to her and making her cloud her judgement of the situation. Ser Alester was simply straightforward and he did not know her, after some time, surely, he could love her. She would be good to him and he would realise that she could be a good wife and maybe he would change then. He would realise he did not have to worry she'd be a difficult girl. She learned her lesson in King's Landing, she would do anything not to be difficult.

Lady Olenna seemed a lot less heartbroken at her grandson's reaction to meeting Sansa. She gave him her signature look, at which he smirked. Clearly, Ser Alester has been battling with his attitude problems for a long time now and both he and Lady Olenna saw this as a game now. He challenged her with his smirk and she was not backing down.

"You could at least welcome the girl to your home, Alester, we have travelled for a long time it would be fantastic if you could keep the showing off for later." With that, she brushed past him, making her way up the grand staircase, accepting the welcoming words from her son. Sansa was left with no protection against Alester and his vicious stare. The look on his face was that of someone that is well aware of their status. Ser Alester clearly held himself in high regard and he was not ashamed to show it. As Sansa looked into his eyes she knew that she was nothing to him. He could spit in her face and he would expect an apology, which she would happily offer if only to see his cold expression change. Sansa was frozen in place with the feeling of utter worthlessness. Just as she expected the young Lord to leave her he sent her a soft smirk, not entirely a kind one, the kind she often saw on his sister Margaery, he took her gentle hand and brought it to his lips. His lips were warm and soft against her skin, they lingered on her knuckles a moment longer than it was appropriate and instead of moving away Alester looked up at Sansa, the devilish smirk back on his face. Sansa flinched, the moment of Alester's resemblance to his kind sister was gone, just like that. The young lord straightened up.

"Welcome to Highgarden, my lady," he spoke, too sweetly. His faintly tanned hand found its way to Sansa's face, his fingertips brushed her cheek and pushed stray hairs behind her ear. Alester's casual smirk did not for a moment leave his features as he spoke, "I simply cannot wait to find out what it was my sister saw in you."

With that, he brushed past her, clearly not having any intention of escorting her inside. Sansa was frozen in her spot as he disappeared into the darkness of the gardens.

* * *

Sansa quickly found out the welcoming nature of the Reach. After Lord Mace Tyrell introduced himself to her and welcomed her to his home, Lady Alerie took her to the palace and escorted her to her new bedchambers, picking up handmaids along the way. Very soon Sansa was left with the handmaids to prepare for the welcoming feast in honour of Sansa's arrival and having the Lady Olenna back in Highgarden. Being kept prisoner back in King's Landing, Sansa did not have many dresses with her but that did not seem to be a problem. There were countless ladies roaming around the court at Highgarden and the handmaids soon found the perfect dress for Sansa. The girl grew used to the fashion of King's Landing, there the dresses were heavier and the long sleeves were always wide. The climate of the Reach did not allow for such fashion and so the dress Sansa received was a strange sight to her. The dress was pale blue and green in colour, with lovely golden details. It was a lot more flowy than Sansa was used to, the material was soft and see-through, if the dress didn't have so many layers Sansa would feel naked wearing it. The golden belt on her waist completed the dress and matched the golden roses that were currently being put into her hair. Sansa curiously watched as the handmaids took her hair out of the capital's complicated style and let it fall down her back. One handmaid was brushing the long strands, another creating a small braid, while the third pinned gold roses to the braid. The hairstyle was almost simple, delicate, but beautiful. Sansa was grateful for something new and simpler than what she had to wear in King's Landing, the complicated styles of the capital were heavy on her head and often gave her terrible headaches. She would clearly not have this problem here.

All handmaids stopped what they were doing and turned to the door when a harsh knock was heard. Sansa was unsure of what to do and felt panic raise in her before she realised she was a lady here and those were her chambers. She called out a weak 'come in' and watched the door curiously. A rather large woman entered, with a petite girl by her side. Judging by the woman's clothing she was very obviously, a Septa, the girl behind her wore a similarly simple white dress but instead of looking like a Septa she appeared like an angry child who the Septa just scolded.

"Lady Sansa, I am Septa Lynora, I am in charge of the ladies of this keep. I wished to personally welcome you to Highgarden and offer you the services of my assistant Alys, she will accompany you around the grounds to make sure you feel comfortable and to please your every need". Even though the Septa's words were kind and polite, her voice was booming and harsh. The petite girl by her side, a Septa-in-training, whose name Sansa now knew was Alys, did not look very intimidated by her superior. She gave the Septa a terribly displeased look, crossing her arms over her curvy chest.

"I am still a lady, you could at least make it clear that I don't plan to be a slave," Alys huffed. Sansa was stunned by the exchange so she simply nodded. Lynora gave her a polite nod back and left without another word, leaving Alys in Sansa's chambers. The girl was around Sansa's age but a lot smaller, her long blonde hair was tied back in a bun but the girl clearly didn't put any effort into it as golden bangs framed her face. She watched Sansa with curious hazel eyes.

"So, I might as well introduce myself now that the old hag is gone, I'm Alys Hightower, got shoved over to Highgarden to train to be a Septa because my father didn't much like me rolling in hay with the stable boy. And you must be the famous daughter of the traitor, and King Joffrey's pet. I'll be by your side at all times to make sure you don't mess up your situation here. The court can be harsh and one wrong word can land you right back in King's Landing." She said all of that very quickly and nonchalantly, one word chasing the other. Sansa noticed it must simply be the way she speaks as she didn't appear out of breath or form. Sansa's cheeks turned the shade of her hair in anger when she heard Alys refer to her as 'Joffrey's pet'.

"I-I am no one's pet. I am to marry one of your lords so you better watch how you speak to me," she said, her voice almost even and confident. Unfortunately, her words did not have the desired effect. Instead of falling to her knees and apologising for her behaviour, Alys merely raised a golden eyebrow.

"Listen, Red, confidence is good here, people will respect you if you're confident, but don't give me that. I'm to help you; fine. But I will not tolerate a stuck-up girl from the capital, understood?" The words sounded so harsh coming out of a girl so petite which made Sansa's confidence shy away completely and she merely managed a quick nod. Alys sighed at that, placing a hand on her hip and pushing a strand of gold hair behind her ear. Her rather large chest was not hidden very well even in the modest clothing she wore, especially when she straightened up like that. It almost made Sansa self-conscious about her own body, she stopped herself before she began to wonder if her future husband will want her if he had girls like Alys walking around his palace.

Alys waved a hand at the handmaids and the girls instantly got back to working on Sansa's hair, forcing her to face the mirror. Alys took a seat on the bed, her feet not reaching the ground, and observed them working. For a while the room was silent.

As soon as the handmaids finished powdering Sansa's cheeks and spraying her with something that smelled vaguely of roses and other flowers, Alys hopped off the bed with a wide grin.

"Perfect, you almost fit in", she chimed, looking Sansa over. She took her hand and lead her to the middle of the room, turning her finger in a silent order for Sansa to turn and show herself from all sides. Sansa obeyed, being used to orders in King's Landing. She let out a soft sigh of relief when she noticed Alys nodding in approval. Before she could relax, the little blonde took her hands and pulled her close, looking up at her with serious eyes.

"Let me give you a piece of advice before we go down to the feast, Red," she spoke, voice matching the expression she worse, "Do not get close to Ser Alester, you might have to marry him but leave getting to know him for after the wedding. You do not want to ruin this for yourself and you certainly will if he makes a show of you."

Sansa frowned, not expecting this kind of information from a girl that probably didn't have any contact with Ser Alester.

"Why would he make a show of me?" she heard herself whisper. This made Alys smile unpleasantly.

"Let's just say he does not like new people." And with that, she dragged Sansa out of the room.

* * *

The feast was a little different than Sansa expected. Seeing that the hour was rather late, Sansa was expecting a formal dinner with the lords and ladies that were currently present in Highgarden. She was not expecting a grand hall filled with tables to the side and dancing couples in the centre. This was a ball, not a feast. Of course, the tables were set out and filled with Highgarden's fruit, crops, and meat. The silver plates with pieces of a rather small bird seemed to be the focus of the feast, a passing lord told Sansa that this bird - the name of which Sansa already managed to forget - could only be found in the south of the Reach. Wine was pouring wherever Sansa looked, from bottles and even beautifully carved fountains. Wine of the Arbor was, of course, the only kind available, the Reachmen being very proud of their produce. Sansa did not mind, she found herself enjoying the white wine that apparently Lord Harys Redwyne brought back from the Arbor himself. Sansa knew of Harys Redwyne. He was the third son of Lord Paxter Redwyne and by far his favourite. Harys may not have become a knight but he supposedly possessed more wit and brains than his brothers - Horas and Hobber - combined. Sansa wondered why he was currently in Highgarden, she even asked a handmaid but the girl only shrugged and told her he was here more often than not which explained just about nothing to Sansa.

Sansa spent most of her night seated next to a cousin of Lady Alerie and Lady Alerie herself. However, Lady Alerie disappeared quickly, claiming a headache from the music, and not much later her cousin got herself so drunk she left the table too. Sansa was left alone, her handmaids dismissed long ago. She felt horribly out of place at this feast, or ball, or whatever the people here wanted to call it. She was not used to this graceful dancing that everyone displayed even after too many glasses of wine. She was not used to the fashion, everyone looking strange in the bright colours. She did not know most of the faces that passed her. She wished to go back to her bedchambers and rest for the night but she knew that would be rude of her, especially that this feast was supposedly held for her. Stupid as it seemed to her, Sansa longed for at least one familiar face to make an appearance. Her blue eyes scanned the crowd for Alester. She has not seen him since he left after introducing himself and by now she was half expecting him to have fled the Reach, or Westeros completely. No one seemed bothered by his disappearance which made Sansa think that this must happen on a regular basis. Nonetheless, moments after beginning her search, her eyes found his dirty blonde locks among a small group of people. The group consisted of people Alester's age and clearly of similar status to him, even though he seemed like royalty among nobles wherever he went. Sansa got up from her seat, ready to approach the young lord and have at least one decent conversation this evening, when all of a sudden, she felt herself being pushed back into her seat. Alys was beside her, sitting on Lady Alerie's seat as if she was entitled to do that. She looked cleaner than the first-time Sansa saw her, her hair was less messy and she wore a more formal white dress. Her hard stare, however, did not change and this time it was calling Sansa stupid, over and over.

"What do you think you're doing?" Alys hissed.

"I am going to speak to my fiancé, is there a problem?" Sansa tried to make her voice equally hostile but in truth she did not understand why Alys seemed so panicked.

"Of course, there is a problem. You leave him alone" Alys' voice was growing harsher by the second and all of a sudden Sansa felt enraged that someone that was supposed to be her servant spoke to her like that.

"And why should I listen to you? I should speak with Lord Alester, I am sure he would not mind." Alys merely rolled her eyes at that, pointing to the group Alester surrounded himself with.

"You see them? They are not to be approached. If you want a peaceful stay in Highgarden, you stay away from them until you marry Alester," Alys continued speaking before Sansa could mutter out another 'why', "I don't know what goes on with them but they never, ever, leave Alester's side at social gatherings and no one dares to approach them unless they want publicly mocked, or worse. If you want to stay in Highgarden, and I'm guessing you do, then you will not bother them, you'll leave them to their nonsense."

Sansa was confused by Alys' words to say the least. How could a group of young nobles isolate themselves from everyone at an event like this where they were expected to socialise? She stared at them for a long moment and unfortunately, they seemed to feel it because in a matter of seconds six heads turned to look at her. Alester seemed shocked to see her for a moment but he simply sent her a smirk and it was as if the spell broke, the group went back to their own conversation and Sansa went back to being insignificant. The redheaded girl looked down at the table, the look they gave her burned into her mind. They were like a pack of wolves, waiting for the right moment to catch their prey. Sansa being the prey in this scenario. She shook her head. No, she was the wolf among the roses here, she would not let them intimidate her. But these roses clearly had thorns that they were more than willing to expose, and Sansa did not know she would survive it if they did.

Pushing away her dark thought, Sansa turned back to Alys,"Who are they? What exactly is so special about them?"

The blonde sent the group a short look filled with dislike before turning back to Sansa with a sigh.

"They are Alester's closest allies, I wouldn't call them friends, that man doesn't have friends," she said, "I bet you can guess which one of them is Harys Redwyne", she muttered and Sansa nodded. Of course, she could tell, there was only one mop of orange hair among them. Lord Harys was a young man, he was tall and rather lanky due to not spending his days out on the practice fields. But it was his hair that told Sansa who he was. The famous Redwyne orange was clearly inherited from Lord Paxter. The short locks were indeed so orange they reminded Sansa of some of the bright crops she saw the smallfolk pull out of the ground as she entered the Reach.

"Lord Harys is an old friend of the Tyrell children. He has huge influence over what goes on in the Arbor and that's probably why Alester keeps him around. Rumour has it that back in the day, Harys visited Highgarden so often in hopes of getting Ser Loras' attention but he never succeeded. Obviously, he moved onto the elder brother," Alys moved on with a smirk, "Anyway, the tall and dark one beside Harys is Lord Mathis Pommingham. He joined Alester's collection quite recently, after he won his fifth tourney actually. House Pommingham is famous for their fruit and very rich as the best pomegranates can only be bought from them in the whole of Westeros. They sound like a sweet family but unfortunately Mathis is greedy and unpredictable."

As Alys spoke, Sansa watched the group in fascination. They were all so beautiful and delicate they almost resembled young gods. Harys, even with his bright hair, was a beautiful man. His pale complexion stood out in the sea of tan that most Reachmen shared. Sansa noticed his cheeks were flushed as he laughted at something Alester said, it was probably due to all the alcohol, she thought. Ser Mathis stood nearby him, a Lady plastered to his side. His charming smile would have one made Sansa swoon but being in King's Landing for so long she recognised that smile as one of a viper. He was tapping his long fingers on the girl's arm, which the girl seemed mildly annoyed at. Sansa imagined all the jewelled rings must click irritatingly close to the girl's ear.

"See the two with the untamed curls? Those are Lord Lorent and Lady Leona Tyrell, twins," Alys continued, instantly shifting Sansa's focus to the two. Even though Lorent and Leona didn't stand beside each other, Sansa managed to get a glimpse of them both. She was instantly shocked at how similar they were. It confused her that she could not tell whether Lorent had feminine features or Leona masculine ones. The two were simply created from the same mould and told that one was a woman and the other a man, even now if they were to change clothes it was unlikely anyone would notice. Sansa found it strange that she did not realise their similarity before, now that she thought of it, it was hard to miss. But when she watched them move she realised that they changed depending on the direction they looked in. One moment Lorent was masculine, with a strong jaw, another he was delicate like his sister, his long lashes touching his cheeks gracefully when his eyes closed. Similarly, Leona was a playful beauty one moment, and a simple girl the next. Sansa decided they were a strange pair and she vowed never to speak to them both at once in fear of giving herself a headache from just looking at them.

"They're Alester's distant cousins, wards of Highgarden. A dangerous duo, although no one suspects them of anything I know they're the cause or beginning of many conflicts within Highgarden," Alys seemed so sure of herself while Sansa could not contemplate how such angelic faces could do any harm. Lastly, Alys pointed to the girl on Mathis' side.

"And that is Lady Rowena Rhysling. A real piece of work if I may say so, she has been set to marry Mathis for almost three years now and nothing, she keeps finding a way to delay the wedding. No one knows what her issue is, Mathis is rich and handsome, supposedly exactly her type. Anyway, she's difficult to say the least. I'd stay out of her way if I were you."

Sansa was beginning to tune out Alys' heated rambling about the group. She preferred to observe them. They really were a weird bunch. Even when they laughed there did not seem to be any humour in their eyes. Especially Rowena. She was a lovely girl. Her skin a pale olive shade, her long, chocolate hair flowed down her back in graceful waves. From the looks, Sansa received earlier, Rowena's was the most obviously hateful. Sansa did not understand the hate behind the girl's face, or the coldness in her coffee coloured eyes. Alys tugged on Sansa's sleeve and successfully got her attention.

"You asked what was so special about them. If Alester ever decided to take over the Reach he could easily do it with their help."

* * *

The feast was reaching its end and everyone Sansa knew was long gone. She let Alys leave a few hours ago, tired of listening to her drunken hiccups and gossip about all the nobles that passed her line of vision. Sansa was filled with enough information to last her a week, she didn't need any more right now. Sansa pushed herself up from her seat as soon as she realised she was falling asleep. She would not make a fool of herself on her first night here. She gathered her skirts and, a little drowsy and heavy from the wine, attempted to make her way to her chambers. She walked the strange corridors for a long time before she reached the familiar corridor filled with red and pale pink flowers. As she tiredly walked to her bedchambers she noticed a figure leaning on her door. Sansa approached with a slight frown, wondering why she was not called for earlier if she was needed. Her tired eyes noticed the familiar cerulean skirts before Sansa was pushed against the wall, just beside the door to her bedchamber. Rowena's grip on her shoulder felt like iron and Sansa could not tell if it was because of Rowena's strength or Sansa's weak will to fight back. She stared, wide-eyed, at Rowena's beautiful, narrow eyes, overflowing with anger. Before either of them spoke, Rowena shoved Sansa harder into the stone wall, for good measure no doubt.

"You better listen carefully, sweetheart," Rowena's voice dripped with venom as she spoke, Sansa did not dare to talk back as she froze in terror at what was happening, "Don't pretend to know or understand Alester, he doesn't need you and that better be clear. I'm the only one he will ever want," she hissed.

"Welcome to Highgarden," were the last, mocking words Sansa heard before Rowena let go of her and allowed her to rush to her bedchambers, tired, shocked and afraid.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **A few facts about this story to clear things up.**

 **The story is inspired by the event in the books where for a moment Sansa has a chance to marry Willas Tyrell. Instead of Willas, this time it's my character Alester and she actually manages to get out of King's Landing. Yay for her!**

 **This fic will be taking aspects of the books, but will mostly follow the show, obviously fitting Alester into all this. This chapter is set just after what happens in Episode 7 of Season 3.**

 **Robbie Kay is what I imagine Alester to look like but you can imagine whatever you prefer.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Feedback is much needed and appreciated!**

 **Thank you.**


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